The Death Star vs Mogo the Living Planet
by Girl-of-Action
Summary: Leia doesn't expect anyone to come to her beloved Alderaan's rescue, much less a self-proclaimed sentient planet. Just a quick, fun One-shot; I might make it into a two-shot.


"Dantooine… They're on Dantooine…"

"There. See, Vader? She can be reasonable." Tarkin, like the snake that he is, turns to an officer and says, "Continue with the operation."

"WHAT?!"

Tarkin regards the distraught princess with air of idle amusement, responding in his infuriatingly suave Central Core accent. "You are far too trusting. Dantooine is too remote to make an effective demonstration, but do not worry." He waves one finger at her, a slight smirk dancing across his lips. "We will deal with your rebel friends soon enough."

"No…" Leia whispers, testing Vader's grip as she lunges forward and stares desperately at her home planet. No doubt, her family is still there! To keep her sanity, she clings to the truth that the Alliance's current base of operations is not really on Dantooine. She had lied, and rather convincingly it would seem.

"Fire-" Tarkin begins.

"Wait," Vader interrupts shortly, much to the surprise of all those present. He goes on. "I sense a presence, unlike I have ever sensed before…"

Tarkin frowns. "A threat?" he questions lowly. Vader gives a barely noticeable nod. "To what?"

"To this battle station. The dark side tells me that we _must_ conserve our firepower." Vader sounds entirely serious. _Then again, when isn't he?_

Tarkin looks properly exasperated. "There is no force in the universe that can stand up to this battle station, Vader. Your input, as always, is appreciated, but in this case unwarranted. Now." He turns back to his men. "Fire the Death Star on my-"

"Sir! We've picked up something on the scanners and it is heading directly towards us!" One imperial announces urgently.

"Well, what is it?" Tarkin prompts in irritation.

"I don't know, sir. Something big. And it's power readings are immense!" Although his hands visibly shake, to his credit the officer does not stutter once. Truly, the Imperial's best are stationed here.

"What do you mean you don't know?!" Tarkin barks. He's beginning to lose that calm and collected demeanor he always seems to have, Leia notices much to her delight. The officer offers an immediate, if entirely vague, reply. Obviously, he has no clue what they are up against.

"It is here," Vader interrupts in a very grave manner. Sure enough, all open comlinks are suddenly filled with the sound of a deep, powerful and ancient voice.

" **I AM MOGO: THE LIVING PLANET AND GREEN LANTERN OF FRONTIER SPACE. YOU WILL NOT HARM THIS "ALDERAAN" NOR THE INHABITANTS."**

The display monitor switches from its view of the lush Alderaan to a planet of equal beauty… A planet that is somehow moving full speed ahead toward the Death Star with a giant green ring of light surrounding it. Tarkin starts screeching orders as Leia stares in wonder, her sense of hope and resolve strengthening as she watches her home planet's unlikely rescuer. _That insigna? What could it mean? Is it a sign of the planet's so-called Green Lantern status? Is it truly sentient as the voice claimed?_

"Redirect the blast toward this Mogo and fire when ready! FIRE WHEN READY!" Leia relishes the suppressed fear that can be heard in Tarkin's voice. She can die happy now, she's sure. Of course Leia regrets leaving the Rebellion behind, but at least the people of Alderaan are in capable hands- or, ah, capable _presence_.

"YES, SIR!" The Imperial men respond like good little cogs in a deathly machine, working overtime to obey their tack master's orders.

Leia looks up as Vader releases his death grip on her shoulders and walks toward the display screen. Not for the first time, Leia curses the man's mask. He would be so much more easy to read without it- and how she would love to see _his_ fear in face of this new opponent. Instead he only stands there, arms crossed. His sheer, unmoveable presence seems to give the men around him some sense of determination, much to Leia's disdain. How anyone can become motivated by anything but fear thanks to that monster is beyond her. Still, she wouldn't dwell on it. Soon, she would never have too fear anyone or anything ever again…

Then again, maybe she doesn't have to die here. Everyone is distracted now; she could escape! As soon as she turns toward the exit however, an invisible force pulls her to Darth Vader's side. Leia struggles against it of course, but it is of no use. "Oh, no, Princess. You will stay here and witness the power of the Empire, as Grand Moff Tarkin said. Your friend, no matter how powerful, will not survive," the darkly clad man announces assuredly.

Leia is somewhat amused by this. _So he thinks Mogo is my friend? That this entity is, what, a member of the Alliance? Hm, maybe this will teach the Empire a lesson, show them that the Alliance is not something so easily crushed… Or the Empire will take us more seriously in terms of contributing more resources to hunt us down._ Leia shoves that last thought to the side, refusing to think of it, not now.

"Firing." The voice of a technician reports dutifully over the open comlink. Tarkin folds his arms, watching in satisfaction as a green beam of death manifests from several smaller ones and is fired at the incoming planet. There is an explosion of green light.

Leia gasps, trembling in Vader's unyielding grasp. _"Mogo..."_ She whispers, mourning the friend she never knew she had. Her despair is short-lived. As the green fog fades, the vibrant planet Mogo bursts forth from it. Leia is, as the renowned 'Ice Princess' and practice diplomat, hardly one to grin with wild abandon, but this she does now. Vader's grip becomes bruising, reminding her of her current predicament. She winces and her grin dips somewhat, although she does not stop smiling.

"No..." Tarkin mutters in disbelief. "I… I couldn't have missed. The Death Star hit it. I saw it!" He clenches his fists tightly, glaring at Mogo as if he could cause the planet's destruction with his glare alone.

"You did, as did I… But as I have said before and as I will say again: You're technological marvels are no match for the Force… Even the pathetic Light Side," Vader adds the last bit with some evident disgust.

"This isn't the time for ' _I told you so's_ , Vader! We must think of a new course of action."

"We?" Vader questions stoically, although somehow Leia can practically _feel_ the dark amusement radiating off of him.

"Yes, we," Tarken confirms somewhat reluctantly.

"Very well. I suggest we-" Without warning, the glow around Mogo intensifies as it (er, he?) comes to a halt. "-tell it that we have the Princess on board. DO IT NOW." The dark lord of the Sith orders sternly, and the communication officer jumps to comply.

Tarkin looks aghast and distraught. "You think that by telling it of the _Princess,_ it will simply stop?"

Darth Vader tilts his helmeted face to the wisend Grand Moff. "I know it," he states matter-of-factly. He looks back to the display screen. "This Mogo is a creature of light. If we tell it this and agree to leave Alderaan be-"

"Leave Alderaan be?" Tarkin repeats, appalled. He goes on in a quiet hiss that Leia can only hear since Vader is holding her so close. "You mean _retreat_? Preposterous! What will the Emperor think?"

"Allow me to deal with the Emperor," Darth Vader returns stiffly. "I will not loose the Death Star because of your pride, Tarkin." Tarkin glowers, but says no more.

"My lord. I have done as you have instructed, but there is no response," the officer informs, some nervousness leaking into his voice. The green around the planet continues to intensify, reminiscent of the Death Star's own death ray.

"Pull back," Tarkin commands begrudgingly. "Get us out of this sector, immediately," he clarifies at his men's hesitation. They comply.

It's too late.

A burst of green erupts from Mogo towards them. Alarms blast all around, the room filling to the brim with desperate and urgent shouts. Despite the utter mayhem around her, Leia feels a sense of peace wash over her. _This is it..._ Leia closes her eyes. The noise is deafening. One moment it is overwhelming, but then complete silence. Wind whips around her, undoing her hair buns, allowing her long locks to fall to her waist. Leia stands still. _Is that it…?_ She wonders, eyes still closed. _Am I in the afterlife? One with the Force, as they say?_

Slowly, very slowly, she opens her dark brown eyes. She only sees green. Puzzled, she glances around, only to be proven wrong. There is more than just translucent green. There are uniformed men and women (the vast majority men) all around her. Nearby is Darth Vader and Grand Moff Tarken even, floating as helplessly as she is. _We seem to be in some sort of force field,_ Leia muses with more calm than she has the right to be. _But how?_ Outside the forcefield, which as big as the Death Star, floats metallic wreckage- yet everyone just onboard the death machine seems to be here… Floating and unharmed.

Before Leia can think more on it, she and the others are _pulled_ , much like how Darth Vader did with her earlier. Someone, more than one in fact, screams. Leia supposes that the sheer impossible feat of flying through space with no suit or ship is just too much for some people. Thankfully, she's not one of those people. _Maybe I am in a state of shock?_ She ponders idly, sure that she will look back on this later and come to such a conclusion. _Or maybe just in a state of relief?_ Leia _was_ prepared to die, after all. She supposes that this is a good alternative, whatever _this_ exactly is.

And thus, minutes later Princess Leia Organa of the very alive Alderaan finds herself stranded on the mysterious planet "Mogo" with hundreds of Imperials, wondering how in the galaxy she went from a prisoner about to witness her home planet's destruction to _here_.

There are a few Imperials scattered around her, the closest being a young mechanic to her right. Thankfully, Tarkin and Vader were set down somewhere else, preferably far away. The young Imperial mechanic speaks up in a very small voice to no one in particular, voicing the one thought that everyone on the planet now shares. "What… what just happened?"


End file.
